The Wilmingtonian., 1887-04-16
SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1887.
The Citizens Bill.

The efforts of the Citizens Committee at |
Dover are considering them en- bloc, highly |
commendable.
The citizens of Wilmington may with |
equal safety trust the interests under ques-
tion to the proposed commissioners as to
their representatives In City Council who
have demonstrated themselves not remark
ably well qualified for the trust which the
bill in question proposes TO deprive them Of
The objections made at Dover that citizens
liberties are being taken away, that the ap-
poitnt ut of a commission is equivalent to
the establishment of star-chamber court,
that commissions are corrupt and extraya.
giant ETC., are expressions tending to evoke a
quiet smile.
1t may be true that there ia possibility OF
difficulty in ascertaing all the going on, the
inner work of a commission, that council
meetings are opon to the public and the
press and that commission will or may do
their business with closed doors and no op-
portunity be given to reporters to pry into
what has been transacted ut tho meetings OF
tho commissioners We.hardly suppose the
formation from the press.
But even il they did SO would they be an,
more condemnable in such practice than
what council does aud hsbitually accom-.
plishes at it's secret committee rneetings and
caucuses.
1t has been sufficiently proved that the g.
tablishment OF commissions does not endan-
ger popular rights. 1t has come to be the
fashion in our larger cities. And that fash.
ion is born of an experience showing them
TO be successful towards the purpo ses FOL
which they are introduced.
The bill referred to provides. generally, as
follows: Joseph l.. Carpenter, Jr., jaime,
Murray and J. Newiin Ga wthrop shall be
card of commits sloDers, to serve for two, fou
and six years respectively, their terms to b.
determined by lot, AS their terms expir,
their SUCCESSORS are to be appointed by th,
mayor for ter ms of six years. The commits
siuners sha il hold no other office dnrine the
membership; one of them shal be of differ
ent politics from the other two and til o,
shall be swoln not 10 be controlled in au,
acton by bolitical or partisan reason. anc
not to be pecnliariy interested in any wuI
donei their aepartmeat. The board shall be
come operative on the first day of July newt
Council shall not have the right, after th
passage of this, to enter into any coLtrac
: relating to streets or sewers, the performonc
of which shalt not be executed and paid 70
by July list Each member shall receive Al
annual salary of $500, payable quarterly. Al
ter July ist everything pertaining to th
management Of the streets. lanes, alleys, &c
aud the sewers, CUTTERS, drains, &C., shal
pass into the control Of this board. The boar
shall prepare and supmit to Council in Ma,
Of each year, e-timates Of the amount needle,
for the work to be done in the department
aud Council shall, in May, 1897, and ever
Eear thereaftea iu1lnde this e,timate il Jh
annual appropriations and pay over tn
whole sum on the first Saturday in August
provided that this appropriation shall not ex
coed ss5 900 for the fiscal year 1887 an
that the annual increase shall not be create
than five per cent.